Determinants of Organizational Politics in Professional Educational Institutes

Abstract

Politics in organizations is a fact and we all have to live with. It ranges from the ostensibly harmless gossip in the corridor to the power games in the boardroom. Those who learn how to use it to their advantages are the ones who get ahead. In simple terms, politics is power in action. But power can be used positively as well as negatively. Sometimes politics is using underhand means and other manipulative behaviors like backstabbing, stealing of ideas, and scapegoat to achieve one’s own goals. Negative organizational politics hampers creativity, productivity, fairness, motivation and teamwork. whereas healthy organizational politics generates competitive environment in an organization. Pressure to perform well above others, high competition for the rewards and promotions, and a thirst for power are the major causes that lead people to engage in organizational politics. The present study is an empirical attempt to identify the determinants of organizational politics in professional educational institutes. The study is exploratory in nature. The principle component method of factor analysis using varimax rotation was applied to identify the factors that determine the organizational politics in professional educational institutes. Statistical package of social science (SPSS) is used to analyze the primary data of the study. The findings of the study would be helpful for the top management of many professional educational institutes to understand the political dynamics of their institutes. The study would be equally useful for teaching and non-teaching staff of professional educational institutes. The study will also open the new vistas of research in the field of management.

Keywords: Organisational Politics, Personality, Repression

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